


Call me friend but keep me closer

by Igraine_smiley



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Angst, Argentinian Character, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Marriage of Convenience, Misogyny, Never Have I Ever, No Happy Ending Fest, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 11:24:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20308690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Igraine_smiley/pseuds/Igraine_smiley
Summary: In a middle of an alcohol induced game, Palermo revealed part of his past.





	Call me friend but keep me closer

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Call me friend but keep me closer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20306704) by [Igraine_smiley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Igraine_smiley/pseuds/Igraine_smiley). 
  * A translation of [Call me friend but keep me closer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20306704) by [Igraine_smiley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Igraine_smiley/pseuds/Igraine_smiley). 

They were at the monastery he had once called home. It was painfully obvious it was the calm before the storm. Martin wasn't a fool, he knew they were evading the fact that they all could die in a couple of days at the Bank of Spain. So what was better to forget about your imminent death than getting wasted by playing a silly party game? They started playing truth or dare but things got out of hand and Sergio begged them to change games. It was Estocolmo's idea to play never have I ever, a stupid game friends play late at night during sleepovers. The problem was that these weren't his friends, they were the professor's team of inept thieves. 

"Never have I ever gotten married" Tokio smirked. Palermo closed his eyes in anticipation of the reactions his answer was going to get.

"What do you have against me?" Denver asked feeling attacked by Tokio.

"You aren't the only married one, dude" said Nairobi "Don't be egocentric"

Lisboa was the first to rise her cup. She drank the wine with a bitter smile on her face. Sergio kept looking at her with worry written all over his features. Estocolmo and Denver were next, they did an exaggerated toast. He hated happy couples so much. After making a pause, Palermo brought the tumbler to his lips. The whiskey burned down his throat, he could have lied but he didn't want to. He refused to forget even though memories hurt more than knives. 

"You are married? You?" Nairobi asked leaning forward. By her side, Helsinki looked baffled "You are fucking with us, right?"

"Why is it so difficult to believe?" the Argentine growled "I'm feeling offended, Nairobi"

"It seems that there's really someone for everyone" she whispered "Good Lord, I can't believe you found someone who had stomach for all your bullshit"

"Thank you" Palermo sent her a fake smile "Do you know that with people I like, I'm a delight to be around? It turns out you are all infuriating" the group booed him. Sergio shook his head disapprovingly. He really was like a professor.

"Did you marry a chick?" Denver asked looking more confused than usual. Maybe it was because of the alcohol.

"What the fuck, Denver!?" Palermo exclaimed "Why would you say something that disgusting? I'm going to throw up! Gross!"

"There you have him" Nairobi complained before throwing him a cork that hit him straight in the face. 

"You could have hit me in the eye! You are so aggressive" Palermo mocked her and threw a napkin towards her. It was the first object he found laying around.

"We have to hit you in the head to see if it changes from the caveman mode you have it on" Nairobi replied. 

"Stop it, kids!" Denver interrupted "I want to know more about Palermo's marriage"

"Don't worry about it, it was a marriage of convenience. Nothing more" Palermo clarified with an unaffected air that sought to hide the sadness that ate his soul "not an interesting story to tell" he would have love that his marriage was not just a matter of convenience but it was what it was. Nothing more, nothing less. That was what you got when you fell in love with someone who was never going to reciprocate your feelings. You were left waiting for a miracle to happen, you wished with all your heart that the person changed the way they looked at you but in the end you were satisfied with just having them around. Being around them was enough to feel alive. Martin was married, well maybe not anymore, after all it was until death or divorce do them apart and the former had happened first..

The game continued, Palermo could hear his team mates laughing and the sound of the drinks being poured but his mind had gone to another time. A time when he didn't feel the pain that afflicted him at all times. A time when he was not Palermo, he was just Martín and that was more than enough.

"I don't understand. You told me that your grandparents were Italian and Spanish. Why can't you just get either one of those citizenships and be over with it?" asked his friend as he walked from one side of the room to the other like a caged tiger.

"I'm not in speaking terms with my family, Andrés" Martín sighed. Not having any European citizenship was a mess but he couldn't do anything to solve it " How do you want me to get all the documentation I need? It's probably rotting in a dumpster in Buenos Aires" He got up to stop Andrés' nervous walk "Besides the village where they were born must be in ruins by now. My nonna's birth certificate must be carved in stone if it is not a cave painting. Just besides the fucking Altamira's paintings"

"What will you do?" his friend approached him. He was so close but at the same time too far for his taste.

"I don't know, I don't want to think about it either" he really didn't want worry about the subject. It wasn't like they were going to deport him ... yet. It was a problem but not an imminent threat, he wasn't going to get angsty about it beforehand.

"Tell me your aren't thinking about going back to Argentina" Martín noticed a tone of fear in Andres's voice that had gotten closer, like he would be teleporting to Buenos Aires in a Star Trek fashion without further warning.

"Why? Are you going to miss me, Andresito? ”he said patting Andrés on the shoulder.

"Martín …" the Spaniard whispered.

"Buenos Aires is not that bad" Martín grabbed Andrés' soft tie in his hands. He wanted to adjust the knot that had gotten loose after so much coming and going from his friend "It's almost like Italy, you know? but shave off a few millennia of history... It kind of feels like riding a unicycle with a punctured tire but the unicycle is also on fire and at the same time there is an earthquake going on. You get used to it overtime, even enjoy it, if I can say so myself. Would you come with me or is it too much for your European sensibility?"

"I would go to the end of the world for you, Martín" Andrés frowned "you already know that"

"Well, it's not that far from the end of the world actually. We are almost around the corner" he laughed "don't worry, I'm not going to go far from you" He made a superhuman effort to keep the knot that formed in his throat from making his voice quiver "you are everything I have, Andrés"

"Marry me" Andres said without hesitation. They were so close that Martin could feel his breath against his face.

"Are you kidding me?" Martín didn't know what to answer. He was making fun of him, it had to be that but Martin didn't want to believe it. Against common belief, he knew Andres wasn't so cruel to play with his feelings like that. He took a few steps away, he was too shocked to keep on talking.

"No, listen to me" the Spaniard grabbed his arm "If we get married I can extend my citizenship to you and you won't have to worry about that anymore"

"And what are you going to do when you find someone you love?" Martín could feel the tears gathering in his eyes, what would happen when Andrés found the next love of his life? Because it was bound to happen. He was not going to be able to take his future relationship to the next step as he did the last four times.

"But I love you, Martín" Andrés objected and Martín wanted to believe him, he really wanted to believe him but he knew that the Spaniard didn't love him like he needed him to.

"Andrés, please" he snorted, letting go of his friend's grip.

"I love you so much that I would do anything to keep you by my side" Andrés confessed closing the distance between them with a hug. Martín felt his hand stroking the back of his neck " you are my best friend, my best half"

Martin was speechless. He wrapped his arms around Andres, hugging him back. He rested his head on Andrés' chest, an advantage of being shorter than his friend. He tried to stop the tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks. He hated being overly emotional. Andres always made fun of him for that, although he knew he didn't mean it. The Spaniard kissed him on the temple when he noticed that he was crying.

"Then… would you marry me?" Andrés asked, moving away a little bit to look Martin in the eye.

"Only if you get down on your knees, I'm traditional like that" the Argentine laughed before hugging his crush. He too would do anything to keep Andres from leaving his side, if he had to keep his feelings to himself until he exploded, so be it.


End file.
